The Destruction of Mercurius
by wanderingsheep
Summary: What if Lucy died inside Mercurius? How would some of the other characters react? This is my take on it, enjoy!


Crumbling. All around her Mercurius was falling apart. She laid there, unable to move or escape the collapsing building. Her body ached. She felt life draining out of her, and a strange peace took over her. She closed her eyes and sang the lullaby her mother had sung to her as a small child, the one that had never failed to calm her and lull her into a feeling of security.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

. . .

Natsu could see the collapsing building far away in the distance. He ran toward it, never slowing though his legs ached. His whole being was focused on reaching Mercurius, on reaching the one girl who for some reason was still inside the castle: Lucy. _C'mon Luce, get out of there! _He thought urgently to himself, but to no avail. He was worried about what could be holding her up inside and urged himself onward. He reached Mercurius, the beautiful building was on the brink of destruction. Judging from the outward appearance of it, he had about 20 minutes to get inside, find Lucy and escape before Mercurius collapsed on them.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins. A large piece of debris blocked the entrance, but this would never stop the dragon slayer, who was well-known throughout Magnolia for all the destruction he caused. He blasted the entrance clear with a well-placed fire dragon's roar and ran inside. The scene inside seemed even worse than it did outside. There was glass on the ground from stained glass windows which had shattered and it mixed with the falling walls and ceiling. Dust and smoke clouded Natsu's vision as he frantically glanced around looking for the blonde mage, although she didn't seem to be around. He gritted his teeth, and felt frustration. He had to find Lucy quickly or it could be the end for them both. Sucking in a breath he yelled out "Lucy! Are you okay?"

He caught a whiff of Lucy's scent, a clean flowery smell that mixed with blood and dust, which worried him even more. The scent went up to the second floor and down a hallway. Natsu approached a large flight of stairs that led to the second floor. They looked as though they might collapse if someone tried walking up or down them, and a few sections were completely blocked by debris, but if that was where Lucy was then Natsu wasted no time worrying about his own safety. Natsu followed the scent down the hall to a door and pushed it open.

. . .

Lucy's eyes weakly fluttered open. Why couldn't she just die already and be free from the agonizing pain? She had no regrets, she had lived her life to its fullest and she was now ready to be released from it… To see her mother and father once again. She wanted to fling herself into her father's arms, to say she was sorry for having worried him for seven years, that she loved him, and for the time she had wasted not forgiving him. She wanted to feel her mother's arms around her and know she was safe, to tell her of the adventures she had gone on, the friends she had made, and most importantly, that she had found a home at Fairy Tail.

A smile crept across her face as light began to fade slowly from her eyes. Suddenly, a face popped into her mind, a very familiar face of a boy that made her smile and brought her comfort. More faces popped into her head, of a young girl, a woman with long scarlet hair, a half-naked man, a petite girl with blue hair, and a blue cat. _I'll miss you guys... Take care without me._ She thought lethargically. The boy's face came back into her mind, and she voiced her last thought aloud although no one was around to hear it. "I want... to see Natsu... one… one more time."

. . .  
Natsu looked frantically around the room. It was rather large, and looked like it might've been a beautiful dance hall before it had been destroyed. Finally he caught sight of her. She was lying further down in the room, not moving, which scared Natsu. She looked tired and bloodied, and was surrounded by large pieces of debris that, thankfully, had not hit her. Another rush of adrenaline had him rushing toward her screaming "LUCY!"

. . .

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice yelling her name. She tried turning her head toward the sound but found herself being lifted into a pair of strong and secure arms before she could.

"Natsu…" She muttered weakly. She wanted to touch his face, and so with great difficulty lifted her arm and caressed his face, before her muscles gave out and her arm dropped limply to her side. "I'm glad I got to see you one more time..." This was practically a whisper, and Natsu's eyes tightened at the implication. He pushed a strand of hair that was in her face to the side and held her even tighter. "Don't talk like that Luce, this won't be the last time." No response from Lucy. Her eyes had now closed, and her head rolled to the side to lean on Natsu's chest.

Natsu stood up, remembering the danger they were still both in, and exited the dance hall. Mercurius seemed to be in even worse condition than it was before, Natsu figured he had about 5 minutes to get out and get a good distance away from the building before it collapsed completely. He ran down the stairs he once went up, only worried about the danger that staying in the building would bring, and ran out of Mercurius. He continued to run until he was a safe distance away. At that point, he turned around just in time to see the rest of Mercurius collapse and felt relief that both he and Lucy were safe from it. "Lucy, we made it. We're safe." Glancing down at the girl, Natsu felt himself go stiff, and collapsed onto his knees. He clutched Lucy closer to his body and felt hot tears form in his eyes. He couldn't believe it.

. . .

"Mira! I see him over there!" yelled Gray as he pointed to a figure in the distance which he knew to be Natsu. "Thank goodness!" Mira called back. She, Gray, Erza and Wendy had all gone out to look for both Natsu and Lucy. They all had figured Natsu had gone after Lucy, to Mercurius, but they all feared the worst for their friends as they watched it collapse. If Natsu was safe, then Lucy was bound to be with him. Mira chuckled to herself out of relief. Natsu wouldn't be Natsu to her if he didn't rush into reckless situations if only for the sake of his friends.

Mira waved Erza and Wendy over; they had been searching a short distance away and hadn't heard Gray's announcement. She pointed toward the figure in the distance that they knew to be Natsu. "Something seems wrong." said Wendy. "You're right," Erza said "Why isn't Natsu coming toward us? He should've noticed us by now." The group exchanged nervous glances and began the walk toward Natsu. As they got closer, it become more and more obvious something was very wrong. They stopped a few feet away what was now a very clear scene. "Oh no…" Wendy whispered while a tear rolled down her face.

. . .

Natsu cradled Lucy close to him while he cried. Why had this happened? It was his fault, if only he had gotten there sooner, he could've saved her, he could've… It didn't even matter now. Lucy was dead and there was nothing he could do now. A choked sob racked through his chest.

He looked down at the girl he held, she looked so beautiful and peaceful, although covered in a layer of dust. He gently wiped his tears that had fallen onto her face away with a finger. Her face still retained some warmth. Natsu began to remember some of his favorite memories with Lucy: the first time they had met and she had bought him lunch, and eagerly told him about the guild she had wanted to join; the guild he was a part of and the guild that would become her family, his first mission with Lucy and the maid outfit he had made her wear, the time he had saved her from Phantom Lord and she had told him the truth about her past and her father, the smug look on her face in Edolas when she became the "strongest mage in Fairy Tail", if only temporarily, her shocked expressions on the many occasions when he and Happy broke into her house, their fight against Kain Hikaru on Tenrou Island, the times he had comforted her when her father had died and when shed had lost against Flare. Every mission, every moment with Lucy flooded through him. He wished he had savored every moment with her, but it was too late now. Lucy was dead. Natsu had lost his best friend and it felt like someone had ripped out his heart.

. . .

"Natsu..." It was Gray who broke the silence that the group had been shocked into. He walked toward the pink-haired boy. He put his hand on his shoulder for comfort, and to let Natsu know he wasn't alone in his grief. Erza and Mira walked over and did the same. Both had tears silently running down their face. It was tough for them, but they understood that Natsu especially, must be going through agony, because he and Lucy had always been the closest.

Wendy knelt down beside Natsu and touched Lucy's cheek that now felt cold. It confirmed what she had already known and she burst out into tears. Erza reached out toward the girl and was pulled into a hug while Wendy sobbed into her chest. After a few minutes, Natsu stood up numbly. He looked like a ghost of himself; his eyes were glazed over and he was uncharacteristically stony-faced. "Let's go back now guys..." Without waiting for a reply, he began his miserable walk. Something in Gray snapped as he saw the effects Lucy's death had had on Natsu and the others, and also on himself. He couldn't bear it, and so he sealed the pain away and put on a strong face.

Before Natsu could take a second step, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder rip him backwards, and it caused him to stumble a bit and almost drop Lucy. He turned around to see it was Gray and felt his face clench in anger. "Hey watch it Ice brain, you almost made me drop Lucy!"

"Listen, Natsu!" Gray said sternly. Under normal circumstances, Gray commanding Natsu to do anything would set him off and start a fight. However, Natsu was physically and emotionally exhausted, and so his face showed weak surprise at Gray's words rather than cause him to start a fight. "Look at yourself, or look at the way you're acting. You aren't acting like Natsu at all!" Natsu stood numbly while Gray continued to yell. "Lucy wouldn't want to see you like this! She'd be worried and try to bring you out of it! You have to stay strong! For her, for everyone in Fairy Tail! We all may hurt and mourn but we'll always have each other, and you should know that." Erza, Mira, and Wendy all nodded in agreement. They all had tears pouring down their faces, but they were trying to be strong for Natsu, and wanted to support him. Natsu nodded, but the words didn't really sink through, and they didn't have a huge effect on him. Gray sighed in resignation. "Ok, let's go home to Fairy Tail."

. . .

A huge shimmering light shone down out of nowhere. It focused in on Natsu, who was still clutching Lucy. Natsu's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the weight of Lucy in his arms lessen, until he couldn't feel her at all. Cautiously, he lowered his arms and stared in amazement as he watched the body of his friend float in front of him. "What's going on?" He asked the group. None of them said anything, too busy gaping in surprise. The light surrounded Lucy's body until it was enveloped in it. In a flash, the brightness of the light increased, and the group had to cover their eyes to protect them from it. Then the light was gone, and so was Lucy's body.

"What's going on? Where's Lucy?" Natsu shouted. A loud booming voice answered him.

"You need not worry; it is I, the Celestial Spirit King. I sensed a bit of lingering life in Lucy's body and so I have sent her to the Celestial realm, where she will stay to heal."

"But why are you so interested in keeping Lucy alive?" Mira asked.

"Destiny has much in store for this girl. She is not meant to die here."

"What do you mean?" Erza called out.

"When the time comes, the truth will be revealed to you all. I cannot tell you now."

"Lucy is alive..." Natsu whispered to himself, relief spreading through him and retuning him to normal. "Oi! Spirit King! When will we see Lucy again?"

"I cannot say when your paths will cross again. For now she must heal here in the Celestial Realm, but there is no doubt in my mind that the time will come when you will meet again."

Natsu sighed in relief. Lucy wasn't dead. Sure, he may not be able to see her right now, but they would meet again. He hadn't lost his best friend.

"Hey Spirit King, one more thing! When Lucy wakes up, tell her that all of us here at Fairy Tail are waiting for her return." With that said Natsu turned around and grinned at his friends, having finally returned to himself knowing Lucy was alive and safe. In return, they grinned back. Everyone was upset that Lucy wouldn't return immediately, but it was much better than Lucy being dead.

"Farewell mages, may we meet again" The Spirit King called out one last time, his loud, echoing voice fading.

And every day the members of Fairy Tail eagerly await Lucy's return. Even as months dragged by with nothing, they waited, knowing in their hearts that one day they would be reunited with their nakama; Lucy.


End file.
